Stagemusic
10-03-2003, 09:47 AM
I just returned from an 8 day stay in Los Angeles. I was supposed to be there for a training class regarding a new system we have installed at work. I was actually there for the poker /images/graemlins/grin.gif. I flew into LAX on Saturday morning/afternoon with visions of Hollywood Park Casino dancing in my head. I got to the Casino about 12:25 and was immediately greeted by the tournament section where a 7CS tourney was just finishing the rebuy period. Entry fee was 17+3 for T200 and the rebuy was another 20 which bought me another T200. I was seated at a short table with 2 others who had just joined and 2 who had started the tourney. There were 8 tables playing so about 50 players. We played a few hands with no real consequence. I won a couple with decent starters and no one real anxious to do battle. Our table broke and I was seated at a full table and I saw that I was going to have to really play my best to make any move at all. I was about the 5th sized stack out of 7 at the table. Limits were pretty high after the rebuy at 50/100 with a $25 ante. I played nothing past the ante for about a round when I caught 222. I (obviously) had the bet to me so I made it a full one. Got two callers. 4th street was a T and I bet, first caller caught a pair of J's and raised. Second caller had KA showing and called. I called and the cards came out 6 for the first caller, 9 for the second, and a glorious 2 for your hero. The pair of J's were still showing and she bet, the KA9 called and I raised. JJ called and KA called. 5th street made me even happier when JJ caught a 3, KA got a 6, and I am given a really nice J. All check to me and I bet, call, call. River comes with me catching a K and all check to me. I bet, JJ RAISES! and KA folds. I re-raise with my quads and JJ calls. We turn over and she has caught another 3 to give her the boat and I show my quads to take it down. Very nice pot and I more than double up. However, about 3 hands later I lose most of it when my Q high /images/graemlins/club.gif flush loses to a K high /images/graemlins/diamond.gif that I just missed /images/graemlins/blush.gif. I exit the tourney with about 15 players left and 10 pay.
Hollywood Park is a nicely appointed Casino that is pretty easy to find, about 5 minutes from LAX and right beside the old Forum. They have chip runners always nearby and they have a service that you don't often find at most cardrooms. They have a horse betting service with runners throughout the room. You can play poker and bet on the ponies at the same time. Food was pretty good too. I played some 2-4 HE but the game was a little too wild for my taste. I had an AA cracked by a "gentleman" who caught a set of 7's while holding a 7-3 off suit in middle position. While muttering to myself, the lady next to me simply said..."It's 2-4 at Hollywood". Next question /images/graemlins/grin.gif
All in all, a disappointing (win wise) stop. Down $55 after 6 hours of play including the tourney buy in and rebuy.
Sunday was spent at the Dodgers game as part of my quest to see a game in every major league ballpark...Dodger Stadium was number 17. Number 18 was later in the week when a classmate and myself went to the Anaheim Angels game against Seattle.
Monday, Commerce Casino. When you go there, here's a note!!! STAY AWAY FROM 1-2 and 2-4. The rake will absolutely kill you and can't be beaten. They take a MINIMUM of $2.50 off the top of every pot. With only one or two callers there were times that I saw only 1 lonely chip sitting there. I quickly caught on and moved to 3-6 and posted a winning effort +40 for the evening after only a couple of hours of play. Commerce is huge and is separated into 4 sections. There is the lower limit section ( by far the largest ) up to about 3-6 for Stud, HE, and Omaha. Then there is the mid to high from 5-10 up to some really high limits. I spent a couple of minutes just watching a $400-$800 limit RAZZ game before I got shooed away by a floorman. Seems that Commerce really doesn't like spectators, not complaining but just a fact. The other two sections are dedicated to table games like Pai-Gow and Blackjack. Food there is pretty good and fairly cheap. People in the games are simply...RUDE. A lot of complaining and bickering and the dealers seem to not notice too much. I played there in both Stud and HE over the course of 4 different days and never once saw a person reprimanded. On only one occasion was the floor called and nothing came out of that either. He simply looked bored and told the player to "mind your manners". I played there more than anywhere else because it was much closer to where I was staying in Buena Park than other Casinos.
The rest of the week was more of the same with losses on Wed and Thurs and a mild comeback on Friday while playing stud.
Saturday I ventured south toward San Diego and stopped in Oceanside at the Oceans 11 Casino. This is by far, my favorite of the places I played. The Casino is quite small but the dealers are very helpful and knowledgeable and the 3-6 HE has a good mix of players. There were 2 3-6 tables, a 5-10 and a couple of Omaha and Stud tables each going when I got there about 10 am. I sat down at a 3-6 table with a rack and played for about an hour winning about $50. Most of this came from quad 5's that I caught on the flop with two people seeing me all the way to the river.
Every Sat at Oceans 11 there is a Limit HE tourney that is a $23 buy in with rebuys for the first hour. I decided to play and was seated on the very last table. I am not going to bore you with hands but I finished a respectable 18th out of the 90 starters. However, only the final table paid with the winner getting about $1500 and the 9th place finisher around $150 or so. A word about food should be mentioned. While playing in the tourney, I ordered a pastrami sandwich, fries and a coke and was charged a grand total of $2.50. By far the cheapest meal at any casino and also probably the best. There is nothing (including a steak sandwich) on their menu that is over $4.00. All in all, a great time and even though I didn't win enough to retire, it was a good experience and I can't wait until my next "class".
Hollywood Park is a nicely appointed Casino that is pretty easy to find, about 5 minutes from LAX and right beside the old Forum. They have chip runners always nearby and they have a service that you don't often find at most cardrooms. They have a horse betting service with runners throughout the room. You can play poker and bet on the ponies at the same time. Food was pretty good too. I played some 2-4 HE but the game was a little too wild for my taste. I had an AA cracked by a "gentleman" who caught a set of 7's while holding a 7-3 off suit in middle position. While muttering to myself, the lady next to me simply said..."It's 2-4 at Hollywood". Next question /images/graemlins/grin.gif
All in all, a disappointing (win wise) stop. Down $55 after 6 hours of play including the tourney buy in and rebuy.
Sunday was spent at the Dodgers game as part of my quest to see a game in every major league ballpark...Dodger Stadium was number 17. Number 18 was later in the week when a classmate and myself went to the Anaheim Angels game against Seattle.
Monday, Commerce Casino. When you go there, here's a note!!! STAY AWAY FROM 1-2 and 2-4. The rake will absolutely kill you and can't be beaten. They take a MINIMUM of $2.50 off the top of every pot. With only one or two callers there were times that I saw only 1 lonely chip sitting there. I quickly caught on and moved to 3-6 and posted a winning effort +40 for the evening after only a couple of hours of play. Commerce is huge and is separated into 4 sections. There is the lower limit section ( by far the largest ) up to about 3-6 for Stud, HE, and Omaha. Then there is the mid to high from 5-10 up to some really high limits. I spent a couple of minutes just watching a $400-$800 limit RAZZ game before I got shooed away by a floorman. Seems that Commerce really doesn't like spectators, not complaining but just a fact. The other two sections are dedicated to table games like Pai-Gow and Blackjack. Food there is pretty good and fairly cheap. People in the games are simply...RUDE. A lot of complaining and bickering and the dealers seem to not notice too much. I played there in both Stud and HE over the course of 4 different days and never once saw a person reprimanded. On only one occasion was the floor called and nothing came out of that either. He simply looked bored and told the player to "mind your manners". I played there more than anywhere else because it was much closer to where I was staying in Buena Park than other Casinos.
The rest of the week was more of the same with losses on Wed and Thurs and a mild comeback on Friday while playing stud.
Saturday I ventured south toward San Diego and stopped in Oceanside at the Oceans 11 Casino. This is by far, my favorite of the places I played. The Casino is quite small but the dealers are very helpful and knowledgeable and the 3-6 HE has a good mix of players. There were 2 3-6 tables, a 5-10 and a couple of Omaha and Stud tables each going when I got there about 10 am. I sat down at a 3-6 table with a rack and played for about an hour winning about $50. Most of this came from quad 5's that I caught on the flop with two people seeing me all the way to the river.
Every Sat at Oceans 11 there is a Limit HE tourney that is a $23 buy in with rebuys for the first hour. I decided to play and was seated on the very last table. I am not going to bore you with hands but I finished a respectable 18th out of the 90 starters. However, only the final table paid with the winner getting about $1500 and the 9th place finisher around $150 or so. A word about food should be mentioned. While playing in the tourney, I ordered a pastrami sandwich, fries and a coke and was charged a grand total of $2.50. By far the cheapest meal at any casino and also probably the best. There is nothing (including a steak sandwich) on their menu that is over $4.00. All in all, a great time and even though I didn't win enough to retire, it was a good experience and I can't wait until my next "class".